By a narrow 5-4 vote Tuesday night, the Rochester City Council approved Mayor Lovely Warren’s $561 million city budget for 2021-2022. The budget year begins July 1st.
The budget retains virtually the same number of police patrol officers, despite an effort by some council members to divert more police funding into programs designed to reduce violence by working at its causes. Council members Malik Evans, Mitch Gruber, Mary Lupien and Jose Peo voted “no.” Council President Loretta Scott, Vice-President Willie Lightfoot, LaShay Harris, Miguel Melendez and Michael Patterson voted “yes.”
The budget does cut 4.5 million from public safety, mainly by moving programs such as Victim-Witness Support into other departments. The budget does include $5 million for the new Police Accountability Board to set up its staff and hire investigators. Although a court ruling has stripped the board of its intended function to discipline police officers, it remains able to investigate cases of abuse and report to the community.
Council Member Lupien introduced a resolution to reduce the police budget through attrition and divert the funding into programs aimed at reducing violent behavior in the city through attacking its causes. That measure failed, with Vice-President Willie Lightfoot saying it is “absolutely ridiculous” to cut the police department or recruit classes when crime is up more than ever before.